Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ah, carrot cake. Is there any better way to consume vegetables than in a sweet, spicy and fragrant cake topped with tangy cream cheese frosting? I think not. This recipe brings together all of the elements that make carrot cake so wonderful without overwhelming your palate with spice. We wanted cinnamon and ginger, but only enough to complement the taste of the carrots and not mask them. For the frosting, we went all in on tangy cream cheese flavor. Be sure the cream cheese is very soft so that it can aerate properly when mixed. You can warm the cream cheese up in the microwave in 5-second intervals to speed the process along. We love the crunch that chopped, toasted nuts bring to this cake, but you can always substitute toasted coconut or omit them altogether for a smooth finish.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Servings: 6
Time: 25 minutes
Difficulty: 3 hours 45 minutes
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Ingredients

Cake

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp table salt or 1 tsp kosher salt
12 oz carrots (4 medium or 3 large), peeled
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese, very soft, about 70°F
½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
½ tsp cinnamon, for garnish
1 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped (optional)

Directions

1) In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt. Shred the carrots on the large holes of a box grater. Toss shredded carrots with the dry ingredients to coat.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together both sugars and eggs until completely incorporated. Slowly whisk in the vegetable oil. Continue to whisk until mixture is pale yellow and thick.

3) Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold together with a spatula. Spray a Suvie pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a spatula. Place pan in the bottom of Suvie, input settings, and cook now or schedule.

Suvie Cook Settings

Bottom Zone: Bake at 325°F for 40 minutes

Top Zone: None

4) While the cake cooks, prepare the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened cream cheese, vanilla, and salt together on medium speed until smooth.

5) Stop mixer and add the confectioner’s sugar, mix on low to incorporate, and then increase to medium high and beat until fully combined, about 1 minute.

6) After baking, remove cake from Suvie and transfer to a drying rack. Let cake cool in the Suvie pan for 10 minutes.

7) Invert cake onto the drying rack and let cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Dollop the frosting on top of the cooled cake with a spoon and then spread into an even layer. Garnish with a sprinkle of cinnamon and toasted nuts if desired.

Coffee Pairing

A fresh cup of Kenya AA coffee will pair beautifully with this sweet treat. The high acidic content of Kenyan coffee will cut through the cream cheese and the citrus notes will compliment the sweeter notes of the cake.